SCB ward gets 20 parks in 6 months, more in pipeline

SECUNDERABAD: Setting an example worthy of emulation, civilian ward VI in

Secunderabad

cantonment has developed as many as 20 parks in the last six months.

Ward VI had about 30 vacant parcels of land earmarked for parks. However, hardly any plantation was done in these land parcels in the last three decades. Many of them were under illegal occupation.

Thanks to an initiative by ward member K Pandu Rangam Yadav, an effort was made to turn 20 of the vacant land parcels into lush green parks.Plans are now afoot to develop gardens in the remaining 10. The

Secunderabad Cantonment Board

has entrusted the responsibility of maintaining the parks to residential colonies in the area. Walking tracks are also being developed inside some parks, while playing equipment for children will also be installed in a few others.

The new park in

Bhavana Colony

spread over 400sq yards is used by about 500 families. New parks have also come up at Trimulgherry , Sikh Village and Mudfort.

Yadav who was elected ward member in 2015, told TOI several land sharks had been eyeing the land parcels.To thwart that, he took up the drive to have at all the 30 land parcels in ward VI, the largest of the eight civilian wards in the cantonment.

“My aim is to protect SCB land parcels. A square yard of land in the cantonment costs about Rs 80,000. Of the 30 vacant sites, half a dozen are caught in legal wrangles. The total area of these parks is 15 acres. These land parcels came into the possession of SCB as part of the mandatory setting aside of 40% of land ta ken up by builders for construction activity,“ said Pandu Rangam. He said he had discussed plans to further improve the parks with play equipment for children, benches for the elderly and walkways for morning walkers. “I faced threats from residents in

Venkatreddy Colony

while we attempted to revive a park there since they use the area for parking vehicles. But I did not yield to pressure,“ he said.

SCB chief executive officer Sujatha Gupta has sanctioned Rs 1.60 crore for development activities. She said the SCB was ready to spend money on revival of parks and asked ward members to come forward with proposals.